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The opener was struck on the elbow and retired hurt while a number of other batters fell to the moving ball

Tristan Lavalette15-Nov-20242:59

Sneak a peek at India’s Perth preparations

KL Rahul left the field after being struck on the elbow in an injury concern for India ahead of the first Test, while Virat Kohli shrugged off speculation over his fitness but was one of several batters caught behind the wicket in an intra-squad match simulation at the WACA.After three days in the WACA nets, India ramped up their preparations a week before the series-opener at Optus Stadium with an XI featuring their main stars out in the middle against a side filled with mostly their fringe and India A players.In perhaps an indication that he is earmarked to open the batting if captain Rohit Sharma misses the first Test, Rahul opened alongside Yashasvi Jaiswal in overcast conditions.Related

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Rahul looked in fluent touch and appeared to be handling short bowling well until he was struck on his right elbow by a rising delivery from quick Prasidh Krishna. The blow left him grimacing and he trudged off the ground after seeking medical attention.Rahul did not come out to bat later in the day as India’s main batters had another turn at the crease.Jaiswal started aggressively with a belligerent whack through the covers, but on 15 he nicked off to second slip in what would become a common sight through a simulation that lasted two-and-a-half hours before lunch.Amid reports that he has undergone scans in recent days, Kohli looked in fine touch and hit a couple of gorgeous shots through the covers. But on 15 he nicked seamer Mukesh Kumar to second slip before he then spent around 30 minutes in the nearby nets.Short-pitched bowling had been a priority for India’s batters on Thursday, with local club quicks unleashing rapid speed while some batters took part in a drill where a tennis ball was fired from close range aimed at their heads.The WACA surface so far in this simulation has had considerably less bounce and carry than Sheffield Shield matches this season. But there has been some movement off a length and India’s batters looked wanting.Rishabh Pant, who had struggled against the short ball at times during his net sessions earlier in the week, smoked a boundary through the off-side early in his innings but he seemed shaken after copping a blow to the groin. He was cleaned bowled by a quick delivery from Nitish Kumar Reddy, who was a standout after also later claiming Dhruv Jurel in the slips.KL Rahul walks off after being hit on the arm•Getty Images

No. 3 Shubman Gill started slowly and struggled to get the strike for his two-hour stay at the crease. He started looking more comfortable before on 28 fending to gully a short of a length delivery from quick Navdeep Saini who celebrated with gusto.The rare sight at the WACA of spin from both ends occurred just before the interval with Washington Sundar and Tanush Kotian bowling in tandem as the batting side reached the break at 106 for 5 after 28 overs.Befitting the simulation, with it not being an official match, India’s main batters had another go of it. It appeared there were more specific match situations being tested as Jaiswal and Gill, who was scratchy the first time around, went all-out attack.But they soon reverted to a cautious approach as they mostly dead-batted in a sedate passage of play as India’s coaching staff walked laps around the boundary.Jaiswal has looked the most comfortable against the short ball, including during the net sessions, and he was also ultra-attacking when spin came into the attack. He finished 58 not out, while Gill, who sometimes appeared anchored to the crease, made an unbeaten 42.After the final interval, Kohli and Pant returned and they were confronted by sharp short of a length bowling from Prasidh and Reddy. Kohli was particularly troubled and played and missed on several occasions. But he found his rhythm and played a few gorgeous backfoot strokes, including a pull shot to the boundary which damaged his bat and required a change.Kohli did not look in any discomfort, quelling injury fears, as he batted for an hour before finishing up on 30.Pant tried to counter the length by skipping down the pitch and he had mixed success. He was eventually bowled on 24 by the impressive Mukesh – the second time in the day his wickets had been rattled.Jurel returned and was joined by Akash Deep in the final passages as the batting side finished on 339 for 8 in a match simulation that lasted 75 overs.The simulation is expected to continue over the weekend.

Take out Erling Haaland from the equation, and it’s likely most clubs in European football, Arsenal included, would choose to sign Alexander Isak this summer.

The Gunners have had a long-vested interest in the Swede, dating back to before he was even a Newcastle player.

Sadly, after a campaign in which the Toon’s star man bagged 27 goals in 42 games, he looks like he’s staying in the north east.

Asking prices from £150m to £200m have been touted, making this move nigh on impossible for anyone, let alone the Gunners.

Liverpool are reportedly at the table too and if Arne Slot’s men were to prise the forward away from Newcastle, it would be a colossal kick in the teeth for Arsenal.

Still, there are alternatives, and alternatives that share similar traits to the Swedish superstar.

The latest on Arsenal's hunt for new attackers

With moves for Kepa Arrizabalaga, Christian Norgaard and Martin Zubimendi set for completion in the not-too-distant future, Andrea Berta and Mikel Arteta are getting a move on with their summer business.

Still, a new forward continues to elude them amid ongoing talks to sign Viktor Gyokeres or Benjamin Sesko.

Arsenal have also been looking at wingers, namely Real Madrid’s Rodrygo, Morgan Rogers of Aston Villa and Crystal Palace’s playmaking sensation, Eberechi Eze.

Well, what if they could find a player with the ability to play on the flanks and through the middle? That fact is certainly true of Ademola Lookman.

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According to Caught Offside, the Gunners are now in active negotiations to sign the Nigerian attacker from Italian outfit Atalanta.

After previous spells in England with Charlton, Everton, and Fulham, Lookman has more than proven himself in Italy and appears to be keen on coming back to the Premier League.

While Arsenal will face competition from Liverpool for his signature, the 27-year-old is said to be valued at around €45m to €50m (£38m – £43m) plus add-ons.

How Ademola Lookman could improve Arsenal

Let’s take you back to the year of 2020 for a moment. Football is being played behind closed doors due to the pandemic and Lookman has just missed one of the worst penalty attempts you will ever see.

A panenka looks great when it comes off, but in this instance, it disgraced and embarrassed a young Lookman.

Since then, the attacker has become “one of the best prospects in Europe”, in the words of former Man City defender-turned pundit Nedum Onuoha.

Why? Well, who could forget the Lookman final, a game where Atalanta won the Europa League in 2024 courtesy of the Nigeria international who scored a stunning hat-trick to seal a 3-0 win over Xabi Alonso’s Bayer Leverkusen.

It was genuinely one of the best individual performances you will see on a big stage and he’s not slowed down since that moment.

During the 2023/24 campaign, Lookman scored 17 goals and supplied ten assists in all competitions. In 2024/25, he was even better in front of goal, netting 20 and registering seven assists.

Undoubtedly one of the most exciting players in Serie A, his rate of productivity in the final third is captivating, but the player’s versatility is also an enormous plus point. Capable of playing on the flanks, as a striker or behind the leading no.9, that versatile nature should be a big box tick for Arteta.

Such an ability to play in a plethora of positions has led data-led website FBRef to proclaim that Bukayo Saka is the third-most similar winger in Europe to Lookman, while Isak is the third-most similar striker. Not bad indeed. But, what makes them alike? We’ve crunched the numbers.

Blessed with pace, fleet-footedness and low centre of gravity, Lookman possesses a very similar style on the flanks to Saka and his ability to dart in behind and run the channels can draw comparisons to Isak.

That’s certainly seen in the numbers, where the former Fulham man combines the best of both players here.

He’s more potent than Saka in front of goal per 90 minutes but he creates a similar number of key passes. He’s also very progressive with his actions, only slightly falling behind Arsenal’s number 7 for progressive passes but actually ranking higher for progressive carries.

Like Isak, he completes a similar number of take-ons and they’re almost equal for shots taken as well.

So, if Arsenal are not willing to break the bank to sign someone like Sesko or Gyokeres this summer, Lookman could be the next best thing.

It’s a rare opportunity to find someone who combines the best attributes of two of the best players in the Premier League.

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CA and NZC are among the boards keen to discuss the proposal at the ICC’s annual meetings in Colombo

Osman Samiuddin19-Jul-2024The prospect of ring-fencing money for Afghanistan women’s cricket could be raised at the ICC’s annual meetings in Colombo this weekend, as the global body comes under growing pressure to act over the Afghanistan Cricket Board’s (ACB) inability to field a women’s team.A number of boards, among them Cricket Australia (CA) and New Zealand Cricket (NZC), are believed to be eager to discuss possibilities of such a move at the ICC Board meeting on Sunday. The suggestion involves keeping aside a percentage of the annual revenue that is distributed to Afghanistan by the ICC as a Full Member, to be used – or saved – specifically towards Afghanistan women’s cricket.Related

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The discussion on what to do with Afghanistan – the only Full Member without a women’s team, which is a key criterion of that membership – has gained urgency after a group of Afghanistan women’s cricketers contracted by the ACB before the Taliban takeover, wrote to the ICC chair Greg Barclay asking for help in setting up a refugee team for them in Australia, where many of them fled.The letter was sent in the aftermath of the Afghanistan men’s team reaching its first-ever global semi-final at the T20 World Cup 2024, and acknowledged the men’s achievements as well as the fact that the ACB cannot recognise a women’s team because of the Taliban’s restrictive policies. Since the Taliban’s return to power in August 2021, women’s rights in the country have been hit especially hard, with secondary education and work, as well as sporting activity, denied to them.The 17 women cricketers have asked the ICC to recognise them as a refugee team administered by the East Asian Cricket office based at Cricket Australia.Australia refuse to play bilateral cricket with Afghanistan, but continue to meet them at ICC events•ICC/Getty ImagesCricket Australia has refused to play bilateral cricket with Afghanistan, withdrawing from three series, though they continue to meet them at ICC events. They will continue with that policy in the immediate future. They are the only Full Member to frame such a policy, and act on it – no other Full Member has refused to play bilateral matches against Afghanistan.Any such discussion in the ICC’s boardrooms will come with complexities, however, given that there is little precedent for such a situation. The ICC’s annual revenue distribution to members does not specify how much money they should spend on women’s cricket, so working out an appropriate percentage to set aside would be a challenge.The ACB receives approximately USD 17 million annually from the ICC as part of the revenue distribution model. It could be suggested that an escrow account is set up where the money is kept.But who the money is directed towards will be another question. Though the 17 women who wrote in to the ICC are believed to be players contracted by the ACB in November 2020, the ICC have not officially recognised them as such. And they are unable to offer them official status, because as a member organisation, the ICC relies on individual boards to compile and recognise teams.In any case, these are all questions for after such a proposal has been agreed upon. That this will happen is by no means a given, as not all boards view the issue in the same way. There are, for example, board directors who take a more sympathetic view towards the inability of the ACB to act against the Taliban government that runs the country.

Chelsea has experienced a very bumpy Club World Campaign to date, as an opening victory against LAFC was then rudely met by a shock 3-1 defeat at the hands of Flamengo.

It was far from the most convincing or eye-catching win against LAFC, but it was a win nonetheless for Enzo Maresca’s men to get up and running in the tournament.

However, from a Blues point of view, any slight grievances that were kept under wraps after the underwhelming victory in Atlanta have now come to the surface, with Maresca worrying already that his current squad might not be cut out for a higher finish than fourth position next time out in the Premier League.

Indeed, a sprinkling of upgrades is now desperately needed all across the pitch, with Robert Sanchez alarmingly conceding three goals to Filipe Luis’ men.

Moreover, Nicolas Jackson would only find himself battling in the Philadelphia heat for a matter of minutes before he was sent off, with it being well known that Chelsea are chasing after the services of Eintracht Frankfurt star Hugo Ekitike this summer.

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Jackson certainly didn’t boost his chances of a long-term Blues future by getting involved in this moment of madness, as the ex-Villarreal man begins to stare the exit door more and more in the face after a challenging few seasons in the English game.

Chelsea are no strangers to high-profile flops taking place in the striker department; however, with Romelu Lukaku failing to ever settle in West London himself over two mostly unmemorable stints.

What went wrong for Lukaku at Chelsea

In total, the Belgian – who was purchased for a mighty £97.5m to begin his second spell – would only go on to score just a slim 15 total goals for Chelsea from 59 games.

There was a lot of notable fanfare surrounding Lukaku on his return to England in 2021, with that mammoth price tag not helping matters whatsoever, on top of his then bumper 64-goal tally for Inter Milan meaning the world was anticipated of him.

Instead, only eight more strikes were added to his already weak Blues back catalogue, with the 6-foot-3 flop also not helping matters on his end when publicly declaring a desire to return back to Inter just a matter of months into his cursed Chelsea stay.

Their patience wore very thin, therefore, with it being a big relief at Stamford Bridge when the long-standing Belgian international moved back to Italy after years of inconsistent form and that infamous interview.

Chelsea's new Lukaku

Lukaku isn’t the only notable striker flop at Stamford Bridge or the last, with recent years seeing the Blues buy Timo Werner and Fernando Torres, among other costly slip-ups.

However, in the case of Jackson, there are certainly some similarities here. The 24-year-old does actually boast seven more strikes than the wasteful Werner at a respectable 30, with the Senegalese attacker only 15 shy of Torres’ total, too.

Incredibly, Jackson has even doubled Lukaku’s slim amount too, despite receiving notable pelters for his off-performances.

He’s not quite tainted his Chelsea stay in a similar fashion just yet – minus his recent dismissal irking Blues fans – but it’s clear that the ex-Villarreal man might be on borrowed time himself and could be put out of his misery shortly, much like Lukaku last summer.

After all, when Jackson entered Stamford Bridge back in the summer of 2023 for £30m, there would have been the same buzz in the air that was around when Lukaku first relocated to West London from Anderlecht.

Indeed, he had just moved to England off the back of bagging a promising 12 La Liga strikes for Villarreal. But, for as much as he has gone on to score that aforementioned tally of 30 goals for the Blues, other numbers away from just this output alone are worrying to read.

Games played

35

30

Goals scored

14

10

Assists

5

5

Big chances missed

24

19

Big chances created

8

6

Looking at the numbers above, Jackson has staggeringly spurned 43 big chances over his two Chelsea seasons, meaning his goal tally could well be even heftier now if he possessed more accuracy.

He could well be more suited to hone his craft where the spotlight isn’t so intensely focused on him, with Chelsea maybe having another Lukaku on their hands in terms of a striker being able to set other European leagues alight, whilst never being able to fully settle in West London, frustratingly.

After all, it has now been reported that Jackson could follow Lukaku’s footsteps very closely by moving out to Italy.

Indeed, a report from Sky Italia – which has been relayed by Sky Sports – indicates that Jackson might be on the move in the coming weeks or months.

Sky Italia alleges that both Juventus and Napoli are intrigued by the prospect of landing the hit-and-miss 24-year-old at some point this summer, although his wages and transfer fee might well be a problem to cough up.

On the contrary, opposing information coming out of Stamford Bridge itself seems to indicate that Chelsea do want to keep their £100k-per-week hotshot around, even as suitors from Saudi Arabia and the Premier League circle.

If Jackson does up and leave – for as much as he has irritated and irked Chelsea supporters over his hot-and-cold stint to date – he could go on to be a rip-roaring success elsewhere like the much-talked-about Belgian.

After all, it’s not as if Jackson isn’t getting into worthwhile goalscoring positions for Chelsea, with the 24-year-old’s barrage of missed chances coming off the back of him being able to find space.

Lukaku also spurned many a big chance when failing to get going in the Premier League, as seen in his tally of 15 big chances being missed during the 2018/19 season.

Therefore, in an environment that isn’t so intense, Jackson could go on to find his goalscoring groove even more, much like Lukaku has managed when plying his trade in Italy.

24/25

38

14

11

23/24

47

21

4

22/23

37

14

7

Lukaku has certainly lived up to the “world-class” billing thrust his way by England manager Thomas Tuchel playing for Napoli, AS Roma, and Inter Milan since his disastrous Blues goodbye, with 49 goals powered home by the long-standing Belgian international across 122 clashes.

Jackson would hope for similar rich veins of form if he soon swapped West London for either Juventus or Napoli, with the 6-foot-2 striker also praised in a glowing manner to Lukaku in the past, having been heralded as “special” by football analyst Rahman Osman when previously shining at Stamford Bridge.

It would be a sad ending for Jackson if he were to shortly head to a new club, with his reckless red card against Flamengo stealing all the headlines, over his prior goalscoring exploits in West London.

But, as has been shown in Lukaku’s own up-and-down story, a move out to Europe could be his best possible next step if he is to depart.

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Liverpool won the title in stunning fashion just a few weeks ago, soaring far above Arsenal and Manchester City.

Since then, it’s been a tale of both woe and excitement as far as the transfer window is concerned.

The market isn’t even open yet, but it has been a hubbub of activity at Anfield with Trent Alexander-Arnold announcing his decision to leave and a swift replacement now set to arrive in the form of Jeremie Frimpong.

But, their dealings with Bayer Leverkusen may not stop there with Florian Wirtz a priority target too.

The latest on Liverpool's pursuit of Florian Wirtz

News broke earlier in the week, courtesy of The Athletic’s David Ornstein, that Liverpool are interested in signing Wirtz this summer.

Yet, there are some complications, not least that he could cost over £100m, but the fact that Bayern Munich (the current favourites) and Manchester City also want to acquire his signature over the forthcoming weeks.

It’s said that Leverkusen would rather sell abroad – understandable given their recent title rivalry with Bayern.

According to reports, Wirtz has spoken to Slot but whether he can convince the German to move to Anfield just as he did with Frimpong remains to be seen.

Liverpool's finest Wirtz alternative

As a result, the Reds may turn their attentions elsewhere. Reports have suggested that the out-of-contract Kevin De Bruyne is one option, while other claims indicate Lyon’s Rayan Cherki wants to move to the Premier League this summer.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

Another option could be Argentine wonderkid Franco Mastantuono who currently plays for River Plate in his homeland.

According to journalist Graeme Bailey, Manchester United have already held talks over signing the 17-year-old, potentially set to trigger his £38m release clause.

Despite United’s huge interest in the player, the likes of Arsenal and Liverpool have also cast their eyes in the direction of the attacking midfielder.

How Mastantuono compares to Wirtz

It goes without saying that Wirtz would be the better addition at this current moment in time. However, for a fraction of the price, Slot could sign a very similar player who potentially has an even brighter future in the game.

In the words of data analyst Ben Mattinson, Mastantuono has a “wand of a left foot able to unlock defences and create moments of magic”. Capable of playing off the right and through the middle, it’s clear to see where the Wirtz comparisons emerge from.

The German superstar is also left-footed, someone capable of playing off the right or behind the striker. He has been nothing short of sensational this term, scoring 16 goals and supplying 15 assists in 45 outings, a goal involvement every 1.4 games.

By way of comparison, Mastantuono six goals and four assists in 17 matches in 2025, a contribution every 1.7 matches. For someone so young, that’s a fantastic return.

At the same age, Wirtz was also making strong headway in the professional game. In the 2020/21 season, the young German caught the eye by scoring five times and assisting six in 29 matches.

Mastantuono may not be doing that in Europe just yet, but the “special, special talent” in the words of Mattinson has all the tools to become a genuine elite talent.

Further hailed as a “world-class talent” by scout Jacek Kulig, the Argentine stacks up well compared to his older positional peer.

Goals

0.36

0.38

Assists

0.38

0.46

Shots

4.94

2.84

Key passes

2.77

2.18

Progressive passes

3.37

6.74

Shot-creating actions

6.87

5.67

Successful take-ons

3.73

3.14

Progressive carries

4.94

5.02

While Wirtz’s output for goals and assists is currently better, you can see the sheer level of potential that the River Plate starlet has here.

Despite his raw age, he’s already having more shots per 90 minutes and his rate of shot-creating actions are through the roof.

He will only continue to get better and once he matures and develops further, this is a goal and assist machine in the making. Let’s just say he could rival Wirtz for one of the best attacking midfielders in the game in a few years’ time.

He'd be their best CM since Fabinho: Liverpool plan bid for £60m "machine"

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Glasgow Rangers held their annual player of the year award ceremony on Sunday evening. After a campaign filled with disarray at Ibrox, many would have wondered why the club bothered.

Nevertheless, several first-team players won awards on the night. John Souttar claimed the John Greig CBE Achievement Award while Hamza Igamane won the Men’s Goal of the Season award for his stunning late winner against Celtic at Parkhead in March.

Elsewhere, Cyriel Dessers won the Sam English Bowl for being the club’s top scorer this season. The most deserving award, however, went to Nicolas Raskin, who won both the Men’s Players’ Player of the Year and Men’s Player of the Year awards, with both the players and supporters recognising the Belgian’s achievements.

With the 49ers Enterprises takeover looking like it could go ahead before the start of next season, they will be keen on building as strong a squad as possible.

Financial investment would be welcome, of course, but keeping the club’s best players for a tilt at the Premiership title next term is the main aim.

Having won two awards on the weekend, Raskin is certainly one player who could attract plenty of attention this summer, no doubt about that.

Nico Raskin: Rangers most indispensable player?

Michael Beale may go down as one of the worst managers in the history of the football club, but paying a fee of just £1.5m to bring the young midfielder to Ibrox is arguably the best decision he made while in charge.

He may have struggled to assert his authority during his first few months at the club, but the persistence the former Standard Liege starlet has shown is now beginning to pay off.

After suffering an injury in pre-season last summer, it appeared as though Raskin would never fulfil his potential at Ibrox. Upon his return to the first-team picture in September, the 23-year-old has been a revelation.

Nine goal contributions have been registered across 43 appearances in all competitions, but it was his opener against Celtic in the 3-2 win last month which was the most important.

Raskin even captained the side during the festive season when James Tavernier was sidelined through injury, and he gave a dominating performance in the Old Firm clash at the turn of the year.

The midfielder has shown in the Premiership so far this term. His tenacious nature has certainly been on display, making 2.9 tackles per game and winning an impressive 6.5 total duels per match – a success rate of 57% – which has allowed the player to dominate at the heart of the pitch.

Going forward, however, Raskin has demonstrated his attacking abilities. Not only has he created six big chances for his teammates, but the Belgian also averages one key pass and 0.9 successful dribbles per match in the top flight.

This combination of attacking and defensive traits makes Raskin a prized asset at Ibrox. There will be a time when the club decides to cash in, but he could be the fulcrum of a new-look side at the start of next season.

Who shouldn’t be at the club next season? Well, it may be a bit of a surprise to some.

Rangers' most dispensable player?

While the 49ers will be keen on strengthening the squad, they must also balance the books by moving several players this summer.

It shouldn’t be a difficult decision on who to release and sell, especially with so many players underperforming throughout the 2024/25 campaign.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

Dessers may have won the Sam English Bowl, but in reality, the Gers must cash in on him before the start of next season.

Beale may have spent little to bring Raskin to Scotland, but the opposite is true of Dessers’ move to Glasgow. Indeed, he cost around £4.5m from Serie A side Cremonese in the summer of 2023.

Given that Alfredo Morelos and Ryan Kent had left for free just a month or so before, Beale had to inject some goals into his side ahead of the 2023/24 season. Dessers had netted just ten goals the season prior, hardly the prolific forward Beale required.

Goals

16

13

Assists

4

2

Big chances missed

27

20

Shots per game

2.9

2.2

Goal conversion percentage

16%

19%

A total of 22 goals and nine assists during his maiden year at the Light Blues certainly appears to be a decent tally, but diving deeper, Dessers could have scored a lot more.

In the Premiership alone, he missed a staggering 27 big chances across 35 matches, often taking three or four opportunities to find the back of the net.

This season hasn’t exactly been much of an improvement. 13 domestic goals have been scored thus far, yet he has still missed 20 big chances in the top flight. With four games to go, this figure could still rise.

Scottish analyst John Walker dubbed the centre-forward as “poor” during a pre-season friendly against Manchester United last July. He may offer plenty in terms of work rate and determination, but the Nigerian striker simply isn’t the right man to lead the club into a new era under the 49ers.

The 30-year-old has two years left on his current contract at Rangers, which means this summer represents the perfect chance to try and make back some of the £4.5m that was spent on him two years ago.

Not only that, but he is also one of the highest earners at the Light Blues. Taking home a wage of £27k-per-week, Dessers ranks second behind only Tavernier in terms of earnings.

There is no doubt that freeing up this money in the summer and redirecting it back into bringing one or two younger talents would be the best thing to do.

The club face one of the most important transfer windows in recent memory this summer. Get things right and Celtic could be set for a serious title challenge next season.

On the flip side, however, if the same mistakes are made, Rangers will continue to be left in the wake of their rivals as they motor to a fifth consecutive title.

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World Champions carve out a 3-2 series victory over England via unconventional means

Andrew McGlashan29-Sep-2024A series bookended with victories engineered by the spinners; different XIs in every match; a change of captain for the final game; injury and illness updates on almost a daily basis: Australia had to think on their feet during the autumn tour of the UK.It appeared they may have run out of steam after a hiding at Lord’s and when England were on course for 400 in Bristol. But with a helping hand from the rough edges in an inexperienced opposition, they even ended up being able to hold back the clouds long enough.While this tour was far from the most important cricket Australia will play over the next six months, it certainly wasn’t a trip that they shelved under insignificant. Particularly for the ODIs against England they were close to full strength with an eye to the Champions Trophy – only Pat Cummins remained at home to build-up for India’s visit. Whether there is significant collateral from the last few weeks will only be known when the seriousness of Cameron Green’s back injury is determined. Cummins, Andrew McDonald and chief selector George Bailey will hope the injury run does not follow them back home.Related

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“Really proud of the fact that we did have a lot of moving parts throughout these last couple of weeks, but we had guys step up for us,” Mitchell Marsh said after sitting out the decider with soreness. “I’m sure everyone’s looking forward to getting home, a bit of a reset, we get an opportunity to play for our states then obviously it’s a huge summer.”If you had to guess where Australia would bowl the most spin ever in an ODI, Bristol on September 29 – the latest international in an English season – would probably not be top of the list. Neither, for that matter, Trent Bridge where they used almost as much. Wearing pitches at the end of a long season played a part, but it still required alertness and show of faith from Marsh and Steven Smith in the options available.In Marnus Labuschagne and Travis Head they found match-changing performances from somewhat unlikely sources, although as Marsh said afterwards Head is a better bowler than often given credit for. “Every time he bowls, he seems to change the game,” Marsh said. “We are blessed to have a lot of allrounders, both pace and spin, so the more options we have with both bat and ball it gives our side great balance.”Adam Zampa’s absence at Chester-le-Street emphasised his importance to Australia’s white-ball cricket while his recovery from figures of 2.2-0-42-0 in Bristol to end with 10-0-74-2 was a show of his class that will perhaps be lost as the roadshow moves on.Aaron Hardie had an excellent tour with both bat and ball•AFPOne of the biggest gains of the series was the performance of Aaron Hardie, particularly with the ball. The injuries allowed him to have a greater role than would probably have been the case. He bowled with good pace and found significant movement, none more so than the superb delivery to knock over Will Jacks in the decider.”He’s a really good young kid and he’s learning a lot on the run, but I thought he played some really pivotal roles for us with both bat and ball throughout this series so I’m sure he’ll take a lot of confidence back home,” Marsh said. “It was an outstanding tour for him.”Matt Short’s blistering 23-ball half-century in Bristol may also prove significant. After a couple of unconverted starts earlier in the series the approaching rain meant he had to flick into T20 mode which may have brought a degree of freedom, but few can hit the ball harder or longer. He could well have put himself a step closer to the Champions Trophy – a run of three games at the top against Pakistan in November, allowing him a consistent role, wouldn’t hurt.The perhaps unlikely question that was raised during the series was Josh Inglis versus Alex Carey after the latter’s back-to-back 70s while Inglis was recovering from a quad strain. However, after the pair played together at Lord’s the answer was revealed in Bristol when Carey was left out.Although younger players had an opportunity on this tour, the Australia men’s ODI set-up remains one at the more mature end of the spectrum. The Champions Trophy in February will likely mark a 50-over endpoint for several of this generation – 2027 will be a step too far. Mitchell Starc, who swayed from the wicked inswinger to remove Harry Brook at Headingley to be taken for a record 28 off an over at Lord’s, will probably be among that group alongside Glenn Maxwell, Smith and perhaps even Marsh and Josh Hazlewood.For them, all their ODI legacies were cemented by what happened in India last year, but global tournaments, especially the 50-over variety, tend to bring out the best in Australian players. And winning when the going gets tough, as it did in England, will serve them well.

At 18 years, she is already just the fifth Indian woman to 1000 T20I runs, and the youngest to do so in all of women’s cricket

S Sudarshanan08-Oct-2022Is it easy being Shafali Verma?She burst into the international scene in T20Is as a teenager in 2019, bringing with her a fresh, big-hitting ability unlike many in Indian women’s cricket. She made people sit up and take note every time she walked out to bat and almost single-handedly took India to the final of the T20 World Cup in 2020. After a longish break due to the Covid-19 pandemic, she resumed from where she left off in the three-match T20Is against South Africa, smashing a 26-ball half-century in the final match.In the 20 T20I knocks since then, Shafali has crossed 20 only five times – four of which were scores in the forties. The phase also saw her make her Test and ODI debut, including playing her maiden 50-overs Women’s World Cup earlier this year. She endured a tough tour of England last month, where she was dismissed in single digits four times out of six innings, including being castled in back-to-back ODIs by Kate Cross’ nipbackers.Related

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Did playing in multiple formats take a toll on Shafali? Was she torn between out-and-out attack and constructing a long innings? Did that dilemma creep into her T20 game and mess with her head?Ahead of the Women’s T20 Asia Cup, Shafali received the unequivocal backing of India captain Harmanpreet Kaur and she repaid the faith with an all-round show against Bangladesh.Shafali’s love for boundaries is an open secret; a wristily-flicked six over deep midwicket off left-arm fast bowler Fariha Trisna – who picked up a hat-trick during her T20I debut – truly saw her get going. With the deep midwicket fielder moving squarer following the shot, she heaved one to the left of the fielder for a one-bounce four before a cross-batted wallop beat long-on to her right. Soon after, she slinked down the track to belt left-arm spinner Nahida Akter over wide mid-off to end the powerplay on 26 off just 15 balls.Shafali was unafraid to move across the stumps and explore the arc between square leg and long-on. Deliveries like the juicy full toss from medium pacer Ritu Moni on the hips – which was nonchalantly flicked over deep square leg – also helped. It was not a flawless knock by any means; she faced 16 dots through her knock and had a tough time getting the experienced offspinner Salma Khatun and legspinner Fahima Khatun away.But that did not prevent her from getting to just to her fourth T20I half-century off 40 balls, the slowest of her career. She then followed it with her career-best T20I figures of 2 for 10, including the wicket of an on-song Nigar Sultana. It was another feather in her ever-growing, impressive cap, having stood in as a substitute wicket-keeper for Richa Ghosh on at least two occasions in the competition.At all of 18 years, Shafali is already only the fifth Indian woman to 1000 T20I runs, and the youngest to do so in all women’s matches. She also has hit the third-most sixes in T20Is for India and is only one behind Smriti Mandhana’s tally of 42.Being consistent is perhaps not her strongest suit. But she substitutes it with impactful knocks. She may get to scoring runs regularly. Or maybe not. And that’s why, perhaps it is not easy being Shafali Verma. But from the looks of it, it is quite fun being Shafali Verma.

Manoj Tiwary and Dhruv Shorey line up among the potential fill-in players

Deivarayan Muthu30-Aug-2020Yusuf Pathan

A match-winner for Rajasthan Royals and Kolkata Knight Riders back in the day, Pathan turns 38 in November. With Super Kings typically valuing experience, Pathan has plenty of that, having featured in nearly 275 games in the shortest format – only Virat Kohli, Dinesh Karthik, MS Dhoni, Suresh Raina and Rohit Sharma have played more T20s than him among Indians. Pathan, though, doesn’t quite have recent form on his side. In his most recent IPL stint, with the Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2019, he managed a mere 40 runs in eight innings at an average of 13.33 and strike rate of 88.88. With the ball, he sent down just one over that season before going unsold at the most recent auction.Manoj Tiwary

After finding no takers in the last two IPL auctions, Tiwary turned to commentary. Is there a middle-order slot for him now in the Super Kings side? Tiwary will be 35 this November, and last played a T20 in November 2019, but has worked with both Dhoni and Super Kings head coach Stephen Fleming when they were all part of Rising Pune Supergiant. In addition to some cameos in the middle order, Tiwary was a safe outfielder for them. In the 2017 IPL final at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad , where catching under lights can be tricky, Dhoni stationed him at straight long-on for Kieron Pollard and Tiwary took a smart catch in that position. Besides, when required, his round-arm darts can come in handy on the sluggish tracks in the UAE.Dhruv Shorey

He, too, might have the familiarity factor going for him, having been part of the Super Kings set-up during their title-winning return in 2018 and then in their runners-up finish in 2019. The 28-year-old Delhi batsman is largely known as a red-ball player on the Indian domestic circuit, but can also crank up the tempo in white-ball cricket like he showed during his back-to-back half-centuries against Baroda and Bengal in Kolkata in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy in 2018. Shorey is also an excellent fielder – both in the ring and in the deep – and was the first-choice substitute for an ageing Super Kings team during his stint there. In IPL 2019, he pulled off a blinder as a substitute stationed at long-on to get rid of Andre Russell and hush the Eden Gardens crowdHanuma Vihari

Vihari can see off the new ball at the top and repair the innings in the middle order in Test cricket, but has not found his footing yet in T20 cricket. Having played 74 T20s, including stints at Sunrisers and Delhi Capitals, he has struck at under 115 and can at best be a middle-order fail-safe rather than a middle-order dasher that Raina was during his prime at Super Kings. Roston Chase, a Vihari-style player, though, has come good on the tiring tracks in Trinidad and has held the innings together for Daren Sammy’s St Lucia Zouks in the ongoing Caribbean Premier League. Pitches in the UAE won’t be too different from the ones in the Caribbean, but can Vihari emulate Chase there?Cheteshwar Pujara

Okay, we’re going a little left-field here, but can Pujara, one of the first names on India’s Test team sheet, be a last-minute replacement at IPL 2020? He last played the league in 2014, when he made 125 runs in six innings, including five in the UAE, at a strike rate of 100.80, for Kings XI Punjab. Pujara has found no takers in the IPL since. However, he did crack a 61-ball hundred – his first in T20 cricket – for Saurashtra in the Syed Mushtaq Ali trophy last year. “I am not surprised by this century, but I am sure many people are,” Pujara had told ESPNcricinfo at the time. Also, he has been training at his own facility for over a month with members of the Saurashtra Ranji Trophy team, so he will be more prepared than some post-lockdown. Will he get a chance to surprise more people at the IPL?

Ichiro Suzuki became the first Japanese-born player inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame on Sunday, and he has given up on trying to make up with the one voter who snubbed him.

When Ichiro was elected to the Hall in January, he missed unanimous induction by one vote. Yes, somehow a single voter didn't think one of the greatest hitters of all-time deserved to reach Cooperstown on the first ballot. There was immediate outrage when that happened.

A few days after his selection went public, Ichiro offered to meet with the voter who didn't pick him and have a drink. That won't happen now.

During his Hall of Fame induction speech on Sunday, Ichiro announced that his offer to meet with that writer has expired, and he has no interest in doing so.

Whoever that voter was had plenty of time to make themselves known and meet with Ichiro. They opted not to.

Ichiro was a 10-time MLB All-Star who won 10 Gold Gloves, three Silver Sluggers, two batting titles and was named AL MVP and Rookie of the Year in 2001. He holds the MLB single-season record for hits (262), and ranks 24th on the league's all-time hits list (3,089). The crazy part about those numbers is that he didn't debut in the major leagues until he was 27 years old after already becoming a star in Japan.

It truly is incredible that anyone would leave him of their Hall of Fame ballot.